Sunday, April 26, 2009

TheSalmon and Steelhead T-Shirt features original artwork by James Prosek printed on a canvas of 100% organic cotton. James pays tribute to these wildly determined swimmers with this design and contrasts that with their fragility. Five dollars from the sale of this limited edition tee will benefit World Trout, an organization that supports conservation efforts and identifies and protects native fish. The tee's shoulder seams are taped for added durability. Double stitching at sleeves and hem also adds durability plus coverstitching at neck and armholes guarantees a clean finish. It's recyclable through the Common Threads Recycling Program. Patagonia t-shirts are knitted, dyed, cut, sewn and printed in Southern California. Other shirt details include ringspun yarns for a soft hand, beefy 5.4-oz 100% organic cotton, Made in U.S.A.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Looking for something to do this Saturday night? If you happen to be in the Bend, OR area then consider checking out The Save Wild Steelhead Festival. The purpose of this event is to unite anglers, filmmakers and conservation groups in an effort to educate the community on hard-hitting issues regarding wild steelhead, and motivate all to get involved. This multi-media event sponsored and hosted by Orvis, features the films “Raising The Ghost,” by Team FlyBoys and “Steelhead Yawning,” by Wahoo Films. Writer and Patagonia Fishing Ambassador, Dylan Tomine, will make his “State of the Steelhead” presentation, accompanied by noted photographer Tim Pask’s images.

The Festival will run from 6 to 8 pm on April 25th at the Orvis Store in the Old Mill District. Plan to arrive at 5pm to enjoy food, wine and beer while entering to win one of the many raffle prizes. All profits from the raffle and any donations will go to the local Wild Steelhead Grant. Additionally, 5% of “Raising the Ghost” DVD sales, Save Wild Steelhead t-shirts, bumper stickers and hats will be donated to organizations dedicated to the preservation of wild steelhead. If you do swing by, make sure to tell the hosts that El Pescador from Way Upstream sent you.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

One man's trash is another man or woman's…wader changing mat. The ultimate recycled product, the Remat is a byproduct from automobile gasket manufacturing (o-rings), reworked and repurposed for a long life of heavy-duty use. Beyond wader changing, it doubles (or triples) as a driftboat seat cushion, work station floor mat or boat floor protection from studded boots. The tough, cushy, water- and stain-resistant Remat is also showing up in front of kitchen sinks and mudroom doors wherever anglers live. Surfers, skiers and snowboarders have found the Remat to be ideal for parking lot changing as well as for cushioning between surfboards on the rack. It's a good thing to have around camp too. Made from 100% synthetic nitrile rubber.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Robert Johnson and a grassroots group of supporters are asking for help. They seek to defeat a proposed law that they feel will "completely eradicate striped bass from California waters" if passed. Patagonia Fishing Ambassador Mikey Wier put together a 9 minute video to help tell their position. Visit Save Delta Fish to learn more about how to join the fight against AB 1253. The Assembly Bill AB 1253 Hearing is Tuesday, April 28 at 9:00 am at the California State Capital Building.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist David Kinney has just released The Big One. He spent two months on Martha's Vineyard in 2007 documenting the island's long-running striper and bluefish (and albie and bonito) derby. Dave hung out with boaters, surf casters, fly fishermen and bait slingers. One of the books highlights involves the Tiger Woods of the derby, who catches a 57-pound striper that turns out to be filled with 10 lead weights. The guy swears he didn't cheat, and controversy ensues. DreamWorks has already bought the film rights to this story. I asked Dave to share his thoughts on the project and this is what he said:

"I'm a longtime fisherman -- first freshwater bass, then trout on flies, then stripers and blues from the surf -- which is what got me thinking about fishing the striped bass and bluefish derby on Martha's Vineyard. I'm also a writer, and I love reading stories about subcultures obsessed with ... well, whatever: extreme beer, orchids, the Civil War, high school football, Scrabble. I put those two things together and ended up with the formula for my first book.

In 2007, I spent two months on the Vineyard fishing in and documenting the derby, probably the most celebrated striper fishing tournament anywhere. It's got sixty-odd years of rich history, and anybody can win the thing: a 12-year-old girl caught the big striper one year. I entered the derby myself and caught a few fish (my best striper weighed in at 17 pounds) but I was really after stories. It took some work getting islanders to let me follow them around while they fished. This is a cagey group under normal circumstances, and when you put them into a competition with island immortality and more than $250,000 in prizes at stake, they can get a little paranoid. Eventually I won their trust, and I went out at all hours with people who take the sport way, way more seriously than I ever have. During the tournament, people will skip out on work, stay up all night for weeks on end, risk drowning, cheat and (of course) lie.

I lucked into being there for one of the more interesting derbies. The best young striper fisherman on the island, Lev Wlodyka, got a 57-pound bass -- topping a 56-pounder caught earlier in the contest -- but when he brought it to the weigh station, the derby officials discovered it was filled with lead weights. Controversy ensued: heated debates broke out, the public weighed in, Lev wrote a spirited letter in his own defense. I won't spoil the book by telling you what happens, but the whole thing made for a fun story to tell.

It's definitely a different sort of fishing book. It focuses less on man-versus-fish, or the contemplative pleasures of going off into the wilderness and connecting with nature, and more on the communal aspect of fishing. Competition is always there in fishing -- guys want to catch the biggest fish of the day, or a better fish than their friends, or a fish they can brag about to their family. By telling the story of the derby, I tried to bring that to life. I hope people have as much fun reading it as I did bringing it to the page."

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Winter releases his grip.Puzzled ice begins to flow and mixes with it's liquid kin.Snow cover transforms into vernal pools.Runoff finds it's seasonal conduit.Marshes seethe and swell to unfathomable capacity.The land awakens with a start under new command.Spring has taken her throne.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Online publishing tools continue to help spawn new format offspring as paper dependant purveyors struggle to adapt. The most recent evolution is Scanout Magazine. Here's what Tim Pask had to say about this new "off the road" venture:

"Yngve, Peter and I had been tossing this idea around for several months and went to work on the project just after Yngve returned from Argentina. Our magazine concept is very simple and along with our Art Director, Peter Huber, we have decided to release a new issue every time we return from a trip. We will release issues from previous trips, but for the most part we will focus our efforts on recent travels.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Patagonia introduced the Pack Vest in 1996 and holds the patent on this modular backpack and utility vest concept . This award winning product continues to provide straight forward, reliable functionality even though it hasn't changed all that much in over a decade. The latest version of this piece of gear has some crossover functionality with the Stormfront Pack. The front vest component connects to that as well. What inspired the post though was that I saw reviews of the Sun Mask and Pack Vest in Steve Schmidt's Western Rivers newsletter (March) that I wanted to share. Here's what Steve wrote about the Pack Vest:

"Over the three decades I’ve been seriously chasing fish with a fly rod, I’ve not found a more versatile vest than this.For 2009 it’s been revised, and it's better than ever.It can be either a very light and perfectly functional vest, or a vest with a comfortable pack on your back for carrying rain gear, camera, lunch, water, etc…or it's just a very good backpack for wherever you may wander.For the money, considering the cost of a good vest these days, it’s also a great value at $180.00 (US Dollars)"